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New Republic
The New Republic, also referred to as the Republic, the Alliance or the Rebellion, was the galactic, democratic government formed from the ashes of conflict during the waning years of the Galactic Civil War, absorbing the political and military leadership of the former Alliance to Restore the Republic after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. The New Republic followed in the footsteps of the Galactic Republic—commonly known as the "Old Republic" during the Age of the Empire—restoring the Galactic Senate and fighting the shattered forces of the Galactic Empire. Unlike its predecessor, the New Republic's capital was not based on Coruscant. After a brief stint on Chandrila, the seat of government shifted among a variety of member worlds on a rotating basis, chosen through democratic election. Following the end of the war with the signing of the Galactic Concordance in 5 ABY, the Republic hastily passed the Military Disarmament Act seeking to prevent a repeat of galactic history; and instead focused on strengthening the forces of local planetary governments and reconstruction efforts to worlds ravaged by the conflict. A fraction of the size of the former Galactic Republic and Empire, the New Republic remained on friendly terms with a majority of galactic systems owing to the egalitarian processes that it embodied into its political message. Briefly inhabiting a wing of New Republic politics, the First Order would eventually secede from the greater body once tensions reached a breaking point. While many applauded the motion, others realized that without Republic oversight, the First Order would return to the draconian ways of its predecessor. With a galactic hunger for peace, many senators—some receiving large sums of credits from their First Order beneficiaries—dismissed notions that the First Order posed a threat to the Republic, believing that reports of its strength were exaggerated by the 'warmonger' Leia Organa and her Resistance. With the Order's true intentions finally revealed following destruction of the Republic capital in the Hosnian system, the Republic stood on the brink of yet another galactic war. History Origins For over a thousand years, the galaxy had been governed through a democratic union called the Galactic Republic. Centered on the capital world of Coruscant, the Republic was ruled by the Galactic Senate, which in turn was led by an elected Supreme Chancellor. With the assistance of the Jedi Order, a peaceful religious order of Force wielders, who possessed seemingly supernatural power through connection the Cosmic and Living Force, the Republic enjoyed a millennia of peace and prosperity. However, as time went on, the government of the Republic became bloated and corrupt. The Senate, filled with self-serving politicians, was unable to deal effectively with disputes that arose between the member worlds of the Republic. With growing protest from the Outer Systems over one-sided trade deals and centuries of economic exploitation, about ten years before the eruption of the Clone Wars, a dispute over plasma exports and the taxation of Free Trade Zonesin the galaxy caused the Trade Federation to invade the planet Naboo. Although the Jedi, with the assistance of the Naboo people and the Gungans, were able to end the occupation, then senator of Naboo Sheev Palpatine, secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious,—part of the Sith Order and thus the ancient enemy of the Jedi Order—took advantage of the conflict which he had secretly organized leading to his successful election as Supreme Chancellor. Palpatine then manipulated the rise of a Secessionist Movement during which worlds who had become disaffected with the Republic seceded to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The discovery by the Jedi of the Separatist Droid Army, as well as a clone army commissioned for the Republic in secret by Palpatine, was to start the Battle of Geonosis—the first major war in a thousand years, the Clone Wars. For three years the galaxy fell into chaos, and for three years Palpatine amassed more emergency powers to the Office of the Chancellor, and made changes to the Galactic Constitution. When the Jedi discovered Palpatine's identity as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, a botched arrest led to the young Jedi known as the Chosen One—Anakin Skywalker—interfering, eventually succumbing to the dark side of the Force. Inducted into the Sith Order as Sidious' apprentice and becoming known as Darth Vader, Palpatine issued Order 66, using the Jedi attempt to arrest him appear as if a 'Jedi rebellion' had occurred, and forcing the clone troopers to execute their Jedi Generals using pre-installed bio-chips to force compliance. Palpatine then called together the Senate in an emergency session of Congress and announced that a New Order would be established; the Republic would be reorganized into the Galactic Empire ruled by an Imperial Senate, and led by none other than himself as its first Galactic Emperor. When it became evident that the Emperor planned on continuing his despotic tendencies, a small group of resistance fighters were organized by such figures as Senators Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, eventually forming into the Alliance to Restore the Republic. These resistance fighters resolved to depose the Emperor from his rule over the galaxy and restore the rule of the Old Republic. In 0 ABY, Palpatine disbanded the Imperial Senate and introduced the planet-destroying Death Star. However, the Rebel Alliance launched an attack that was able to destroy the battle station, officially beginning the Galactic Civil War. Despite an ensuing four years of setbacks, the Rebel Alliance launched the decisive Battle of Endoragainst the Empire. By the battle's end, the second Death Star was destroyed. The Emperor was killed by Darth Vader, who once again became Anakin Skywalker, redeemed from the dark side of the Force by his son, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. Retreating to the Annaj system, the Empire had suffered a crippling defeat. Galactic Civil War A new government Owing to their success in the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance would reorganize into a fledgling new government known as the New Republic. The Republic pressed its advantage against the Empire by pursuing shattered Imperial forces throughout the galaxy, hoping to prevent them from regrouping into a larger foe once more. With many celebrating the defeat of the Old Empire's dictatorial ruler, including a riot in Monument Plaza, the Empire would still maintain the military superiority over the fledgling Rebellion. Seeking to prevent the disheartened Imperial forces from reorganizing, the Alliance embarked on campaigns such as the Beltire Liberation and Battle of Cawa City, with both operations seeing New Republic victories and Imperial blunders. Twenty days after the Battle of Endor, Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, who had been sent by Mon Mothma, Chancellor of the Alliance, visited the then-Queen of Naboo, Sosha Soruna. In the royal palace's throne room, Organa asked for Naboo's support in the establishment of a New Republic and the restoration of a senate. The queen accepted Organa's offer, claiming that the Naboo felt great shame over Palpatine's actions. Although the Empire attempted to destroy Naboo and a variety of other worlds such as Burnin Konn, Candovant, Abednedo, and Commenor using climate disruption arrays during Palpatine' posthumous contingency plan Operation: Cinder, the plan was ultimately foiled by Alliance forces. During the subsequent Naboo Sieges, with Imperials who sought to claim Naboo as a rallying point around their defeated leader's former homeworld, the New Republic would continue to successfully defend the planet, its efforts there led by Thane Kyrell and Corona Squadron, along with several Imperial deserters who informed the Republic of Imperial strategy. As chaos and hope slowly gripped the galaxy, Imperial propaganda soon began touting several contradictory messages, with some claiming that the Emperor lived on, or that the so-called New Republic slowly plundered innocent star systems for its terrorist organization, while others feared legitimizing it by referring to it as anything other than a criminal organization. Governor Adelhard locked down all communication and travel from the Anoat sector, hunting down any that spoke word of the Emperor's death with his Purge Troopers. Nonetheless, New Republic forces quickly began to swell as propaganda broadcasts featuring the destruction of the second Death Star rallied thousands of individuals to take up arms against the Empire. Chandrila was soon chosen to be the capital of the fledgling government, while the Galactic Senate was re-established and its newly seated members elected Mon Mothma as the Chancellor. Chancellor Mon Mothma, former leader of the Alliance to Restore the Republic knew that a unified, singular message would be required to win the hearts and minds of civilians across the galaxy. Making clear that her new position was merely provisional, Republic communications bureaus worked around the chrono, crafting inspiration messages of hope, rebirth, empowerment and self-determination. The Empire soon installed an actor to play the role of Palpatine, however some were able to see through the facsimile. Inevitably, the truth of the Emperor's demise became known to general citizenry, while ambitious men announced their ascension to the Imperial throne almost everyday. In reality, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, former aide to the Emperor since the Clone Wars would hold all the real power, and embark on the impossible task of maintaining the administrative and military matters of the Empire. While the New Republic appeared unstoppable following the destruction of the Death Star II, several Alliance leaders such as recently promoted Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar knew that the Alliance's victory at Endor was nothing more than pure luck. Despite major victories on Sevarcos and Malastare, along with foiling an attempt to restart the droid foundries on Geonosis by Spec Forces, the Republic still feared what a unified, singular thrust against populated New Republic systems could spell for the movement. Luckily for the Republic, the Imperial leadership could barely contend with themselves let alone an external threat. Ambitious members of the Imperial Council soon began carving up pieces of the Emperor's territories for themselves, while ambitious Moffs such as Valco Pandion and Randd began a rapid process of self-promotion and aggrandizement. While the Imperial Military maintained a semblance of unity owing to old loyalists and a common fear of the Rebellion, a few senior Imperials counted the days until someone of prominence broke away from the fold, ushering in the true collapse of the Empire. With numerous splinter fleets and factions of the Empire rising up, several of them retreated to worlds in the Outer Rim to escape the attention of the New Republic, while strategically unimportant worlds such as Naalol would see heavy fighting in the months following the Emperor's death, with the Imperials using them as fallback positions as other worlds slowly eluded its grasp. To several Alliance leaders, the shift of the Empire to worlds in the Outer Systems only made sense with the foreknowledge that many of the original seeds of the Empire originated there. Wedge Antilles, a New Republic starfighter pilot, eventually tracked a gathering of Imperial forces on the Outer Rim world of Akiva, but was captured by the Star Destroyer Vigilance before he could report to the New Republic, necessitating a mission to rescue him. In reality, the military build-up would be the result of Admiral Rae Sloane, who attempted to bring some of the last leaders of the Empire together in the Imperial Future Council, where they would discuss the Empire's long-term strategy and appoint a new Emperor. Before any progress could be made, the resulting Rebellion on Akiva saw several key Imperial figures killed or captured, with the New Republic Starfleet interrupting the gathering owing to Imperial admiral Gallius Rax, who had been feeding the Republic information under the codename the "Operator." The Operator had in fact been providing the New Republic with sensitive Imperial information for months following Endor, with the intentions of removing those he saw as weak from leadership positions to 'cleanse' the Order from the inside out. Tides of change Following the rebellion on Akiva, Princess Leia persistently lobbied the new Galactic Senate on the matter of liberating the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk from Imperial occupation. Her husband Han Solo's Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca came from Kashyyyk and Solo wanted to return a favor to Chewbacca, who owed him a life debt. The planet was governed by Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck, who had turned Kashyyyk into a planetwide slave labor camp and fitted every Wookiee on the planet with inhibitor chips. The Wookiees were exploited as disposable slave labor by the Empire and endured brutal conditions. However, the New Republic was preoccupied with its military offensive against the remnants of the Empire. In frustration, Solo resigned his commission as General and embarked on a hastily-scrambled campaign with Chewbacca to liberate the Wookiee homeworld. Despite rallying Wookiee smugglers and refugees at Warrin Station, the initial campaign failed due to an Imperial trap. Solo managed to escape but Chewbacca was captured by the Empire and imprisoned at the bleak automated prison of Ashmead's Lock on Kashyyyk. After losing contact with her husband, Princess Leia turned to the New Republic officer Norra Wexley and her team for help in rescuing her husband. Wexley and her team which included her son Temmin, his B1 battle droid Mister Bones, the former Imperial loyalty officer Sinjir Rath Velus, the Zabrak bounty hunter Jas Emari, and the New Republic soldier Jom Barell had been participating in a New Republic campaign to hunt down Imperial war criminals including Vice Admiral Perwin Gedde. Meanwhile, New Republic forces took more former Imperial worlds including Arkanis, Kuat, and clashed with Imperial forces on Nag Ubdur. With the relaxation of censorship, HoloNet networks such as Queen of the Core Network freely reported on the New Republic's war efforts and Imperial atrocities and suicide attacks. In the face of the New Republic's military advances and growing internal unrest, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda secretly met with Chancellor Mothma and Princess Leia on the watery planet of Velusia to offer his surrender. However, the New Republic leadership rejected his surrender and ordered him to find a way for the Empire to surrender. In response, Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax established a Shadow Council consisting of Grand Admiral Sloane, former Commandant Brendol Hux, Grand Moff Randd, General Hodnar Borrum, and Imperial propagandist Ferric Obdurto manage the dwindling remnants of the Empire. Rax mustered sizeable Imperial fleets in the Vulpinus Nebula, the Almagest, the Recluse's Nebula, the Queluhan Nebula, the Ro-Loo Triangle, and the Inamorata. He planned to launch a coordinated strike against the New Republic from the Imperial holdout worlds of Zhadalene, Korrus, and Belladoon in the Outer Rim. In the midst of the fighting, criminal elements like the hermaphrodite reptilian pirate Eleodie Maracavanya took advantage of the lawlessness to expand their criminal enterprises. Answering Leia's call, Norra and her commander Wedge Antilles tracked Solo's last coordinates to the edge of Wild Space. After being rescued from Imperial forces, Norra resigned her commission in the New Republic Starfleet after Admiral Ackbar refused to sanction her mission to rescue Solo and ordered her to resume her hunt for Imperial war criminals. After Sinjir acquired information about Ashmead's Lock from the captive Yupe Tashu, Norra and her team subsequently traveled to the Siniteen prison builder Golas Aram's redoubt on the planet Irudiru. After reuniting with Han, the rebels joined forces to storm Aram's compound and force Aram to divulge information on Ashmead's Lock. Using this information, Norra's team and Solo traveled to Kashyyyk where they managed to infiltrated the automated prison. After disabling the computer system SOL-GDA, the rebels managed to free Chewbacca and a hundred other prisoners including Norra's husband and Temmin's father Brentin Lore Wexley. The faux peace and the Liberation of Kashyyyk While Norra and Temmin flew the prisoners on the Millennium Falcon back to Chandrila, Han, Chewbacca, Sinjir, Jas Emari, and Jom stayed behind to organize a campaign to end Imperial domination over the Wookiees of Kashyyyk. For the next month, Jas recruited several smugglers and Wookiee refugees including the former slave Greybok. Han and his team also searched for Grand Moff Tolruck's hidden island fortress, from where he presided over his slave empire. Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Sloane grew disillusioned with Fleet Admiral Rax's leadership and agenda. After uncovering information about his connection to the late Emperor and the planet Jakku, Sloane became privy to Rax's plan to launch an attack on Chandrila, the New Republic capital. To lull the New Republic into a sense of complacency, Sloane posed as the Operator and offered to enter into peace talks with Chancellor Mothma and Admiral Ackbar. Believing that the Empire was near capitulation, the New Republic leadership accepted her offer. Meanwhile on Kashyyyk, Han and Chewie's team managed to infiltrate Grand Moff Tolruck's island fortress and disable his inhibitor chips. This triggered a mass planetwide uprising which saw the rapid overthrow of the Imperial garrison on Kashyyyk. In desperation, Tolruck ordered the orbiting Imperial Star Destroyers to initiate orbital bombardment of Kashyyyk. However, Tolruck's order was intercepted by a New Republic probe droid which transmitted the footage to Princes Leia, who alerted Wedge Antilles, Chancellor Mothma, and Admiral Ackbar. Han and his team also managed to hijack the Star Destroyer Dominion and destroy one of the other Destroyers. When Leia, Antilles, and Ackbar arrived with reinforcements, the remaining Imperial forces on Kashyyyk capitulated. The Wookiees regained control of their homeworld and began mopping up operations against the remaining Imperial holdouts on the planet. The liberation of Kashyyyk was accompanied by the Empire's abandonment of its remaining garrisons on the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth, which was subsequently liberated by the Twi'lek Resistance. In Chandrila's capital Hanna City, Chancellor Mothma organized a celebration called Liberation Day to honor the Ashmead Lock's prisoners. This celebration coincided with Grand Admiral Sloane's arrival on Chandrila for the peace talks. Unknown to the New Republic, Fleet Admiral Rax had fitted the prisoners with inorganic biochips. After the Imperial agent Windom Traducier activated a transponder at the top of the Hanna City opera house, the liberated prisoners including Brentin involuntarily attacked several New Republic officials. Mon Mothma narrowly escaped assassination but numerous officials were maimed or murdered. Disgusted with Rax's tactics, Sloane turned against Rax and narrowly escaped death at the hands of her aide Adea Rite, who was a secret agent of Rax. The attack on Chandrila had serious repercussions for the New Republic's public image since the violence had been broadcast live on HoloNet. Several systems that had been considering joining the Republic withdrew their applications. Some advocated moving the Republic's capital from Chandrila to a more secure system. Some proposed forming an alternate Independent Systems Alliance. The New Republic also suspended hiring bounty hunters since soliciting their services made the Republic's security and military forces look weak. Following the Liberation Day attacks, Fleet Admiral Rax assumed control of the Shadow Council on the pretext of Sloane's alleged death. Appointing himself as Counselor to the Empire, Rax marshaled the Imperial armadas for a pitched battle against the New Republic on the barren Inner Rim world of Jakku. Meanwhile, the fugitive Sloane joined forces with Brentin to hunt down and kill Rax. As the New Republic prepared for a final showdown with the remnants of the Empire, Norra, her son, and their team decided to hunt down Sloane, believing that she was responsible for the attack on Chandrila. The Battle of Jakku In the months following the attack on Chandrila, the New Republic had to contend with new factions including the New Separatist Union, the Confederacy of Corporate Systems and the pirate state known as the Sovereign Latitudes of Maracavanya. Chancellor Mon Mothma also had to contend with a political rival in the form of Senator Tolwar Wartol, who accused her of being weak and advocated a stronger, more centralized and militarized New Republic. These problems coincided with the New Republic's efforts to relocate its capital to the Mid Rim agrarian world of Nakadia. Chancellor Mothma apportioned resources and infrastructure for worlds devastated by the Empire. Despite maintaining a strong military, Mothma made sure that it was not too powerful in an effort to differentiate her government from the Empire. Meanwhile, Norra Wexley and her team including her son Temmin managed to track down Rae Sloane to the desert planet of Jakku. However, they found that the remnants of the Empire had fled there. While Norra and the bounty hunter Jas Emari went to Jakku to search for Sloane, Temmin and Sinjir returned to Chandrila to warn the New Republic. Chancellor Mothma urged the Galactic Senate to vote for military intervention on Jakku. However, the bill fell short of a majority by five votes. Before a re-vote could take place, the New Republic began the process of relocating its capital to the agrarian Mid Rim world of Nakadia. While Mon Mothma delayed the re-vote by stalling Senator Tolwar Warto with an impromptu biosecurity inspection above Nakadia, Han Solo along with Sinjir, Temmin, Jom Barell, and Conder Kyl discovered that the five senators had been coerced by the Black Sun and Red Key crime syndicates into derailing the bill in order to prolong the Galactic Civil War. After rescuing Senator Nim Tar's child, Sinjir managed to rectify the situation by offering to pardon the senators if they supported Mothma's bill during the re-vote. As a result, Chancellor Mothma managed to pass a bill sending the New Republic military to Jakku. Admiral Ackbar led a large New Republic fleet to Jakku. Ground forces led by Lieutenant General Brockway were also deployed to attack Rax's main Imperial base and a weapons facility. Fearing that Jakku could be a ruse, the New Republic kept a force led by General Tyben on Chandrila. Unknown to the New Republic, Counselor Gallius Rax had engineered the battle as a means of destroying both the Imperial remnants and the New Republic forces as part of the Emperor's Contingency. The late Palpatine did not want the Empire to survive his death and tasked Rax with execute his will. As part of the Contingency, Rax planned to blow up Jakku and the two belligerent forces. Due to Rax's fierce and unconventional tactics, the Battle of Jakku initially went in the Empire's favor. The Imperial fleet formed a defensive cordon around the Super Star Destroyer Ravager, which blunted the New Republic assault. The Imperial formation was broken when the Star Destroyer Punishment rammed the New Republic Mark One Starhawk Amity. This created a gap which allowed Commodore Kyrsta Agate's warship Concord to attack the Ravager. Despite being crippled, the Concord managed to drag the Ravager to Jakku's surface; turning the tide of the battle. New Republic forces then attacked the Empire on multiple fronts on space and land. New Republic boarders including the former TIE fighter pilot Thane Kyrell also tried to capture several Star Destroyers including the Inflictor. Due to the fierce fighting, Jakku's surface was littered with the wreckage of starships and other vehicles for decades to come, including those of the Inflictor itself. Meanwhile, Sloane joined forces with Norra and Brentin Lore Wexley to kill Rax and stop his plot to destroy Jakku. Sloane along with the former Commandant Brendol Hux and his son Armitage then fled into the Unknown Regions with the surviving remnants of the Empire. A new peace The Galactic Concordance Despite the Galactic Concordance, fighting on Jakku's surface continued for several months. In addition, several Imperial remnants continued to resist the New Republic including Grand Moff Randd and Commander Nash Windrider's forces in the Queluhan Nebula. As a result, the New Republic Starfleet remained on war footing for some time. Some Imperial warships began immediately jumping off into the Unknown Regions. The Old Empire eventually dissolved almost completely, becoming a mere rump state dominated by hardliners. As time went on, former Imperial officers and nobles began rebuilding the government into a faction in the Unknown Regions that would come to be known as the First Order. As one its first acts following the signing of the Galactic Concordance, the Senate passed the Military Disarmament Act which drastically cut the New Republic's military to a large but operationally-limited peacekeeping force, an early goal of Mon Mothma's. The move was lauded by most who believed that the remaining Imperial hardliners posed no threat. Leia Organa disagreed and was sidelined from the New Republic's political process. While the First Order briefly existed as part of the Republic political process, the Order would inevitably secede from the body politic once tensions flared. While many applauded the notion, others realized that without Republic oversight into First Order activities, a new and even greater threat could once more return to the galactic stage. Changing of the Guard The end of the Galactic Civil War saw many worlds finally choosing an allegiance, with many joining the New Republic. There was peace in many worlds, and hardly any political infighting. However, this peace was too good to be true. In the subsequent election, Borsk Fey'lya was elected Chancellor with a three fifths majority. Many other long term members of the galactic senate resigned, as well as military leaders like Ackbar, and Hiram Drayson. Unfortunately, these senators of high principle and former rebel leaders were replaced by senators with lesser principle and the infighting of the Old Republic was seen again. Political gridlock The New Republic remained the dominant galactic government for three decades after the Battle of Endor. During that period, an entire generation grew up knowing only peace with little comprehension of the Old Empire and the Galactic Civil War. At some unknown point, Mon Mothma resigned as Chancellor with her successors failing to command the same level of charisma and consensus that the elder stateswoman held among the Senate. About six years prior to the destruction of the Hosnian system, the Core World of Hosnian Prime served as the capital of the Republic and housed the Galactic Senate. By that time, the Senate had degenerated into political gridlock and infighting. Two unofficial but powerful factions known as the Centrists, who advocated a stronger galactic government and military, and the Populists, who believed that individual worlds should retain most authority, squabbled for control of the Senate and the New Republic. Due to the constant bickering, the New Republic was unable to enforce financial regulations and to undertake regular patrols of the galaxy's shipping lanes. This indecisiveness facilitated the resurgence of several criminal cartels including the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di's cartel, which preyed on shipping in the Gaulus sector that housed the planet Ryloth. Rinnrivin's criminal activities led Ryloth's Emissary Yendor to petition the Senate for assistance. While several senators considered Rinnrivin's activities as an "intrasystem matter", the Populist Senator Leia Organa and her Centrist colleague Ransolm Casterfo volunteered to investigate the Nikto criminal cartel. The two senators traveled to the Outer Rim planet of Bastatha, where Rinnrivin's cartel was known to operate. There, Senator Organa was kidnapped by Rinnrivin, who attempted to bribe the Senator into easing Republic restrictions on the spice trade. However, Organa was rescued by Casterfo and Rinnrivin was forced to flee his hideout. Analysis of the data from Rinnrivin's headquarters indicated that Bastatha's gambling revenue was being channeled into a network of shadowy corporations based in the Outer Rim. Following the Mission to Bastatha, the Centrist Senator Lady Carise Sindian introduced a motion calling on the Galactic Senate to abolish the Chancellorship and to create a new, more powerful post called First Senator, that would wield considerable power over the military and the economy. Senator Casterfo managed to sway the neutralist senators into voting in favor of the resolution. As a result, the Senate carried the motion and the Populists were forced to change tactic by endorsing one of their own for the position. Due to her clout as the late Bail Organa's daughter and Rebel Alliance leader, Senator Organa decided to stand as the Populist candidate for First Senator. Later, Organa's starfighter pilots Greer Sonnel and Joph Seastriker discovered that Rinnrivin was hiring members of the Amaxine warriors as pilots for his smuggling and raiding operations. Over the course of their investigation, Leia and her team discovered circumstantial evidence that several Centrist senators were colluding with Rinnrivin's cartel and the Amaxine warriors. In an attempt to sow chaos, Arliz Hadrassian, a former TIE fighter pilot and the fanatical leader of the Amaxine warriors, bombed the Senate's conference hall. While no senators were killed due to the timely actions of Leia, the so-called "Napkin Bombing" was reported in the media as the most serious security incident since the end of the Civil War. Centrists and Populists soon began accusing each other of staging the bombing for political gain. An insidious threat Ignoring the political gridlock, Organa and Casterfo continue their investigations into Rinnrivin's syndicate. On Leia's behalf, Ransolm traveled to Daxam IV to investigate the Amaxine warriors. While posing as an Imperial sympathizer and collector of rare Imperial artifacts, Casterfo met Hadrassian and learned that the Amaxine warriors were a large, well-armed militia group that admired the "Old Empire." Meanwhile, Leia and the rest of her team including C-3PO and Korr Sella visited the Ryloth archives and discovered evidence about Rinnrivin's "sudden" rise to power as a major crime figure. Leia's team also discovered that Rinnrivin maintained spy satellites that were linked to the Expansion Region world of Sibensko. After a secret meeting with Rinnrivin on Harloff Minor, Leia learned that Rinnrivin disagreed with the Amaxines' actions during the Napkin Bombing. After returning to Hosnian Prime, Leia and Ransolm exchanged notes and made preparations to travel to Sibensko. Before they could travel there, Leia formally made preparations to announce her candidacy for First Senator at the Galactic Senate. However, Lady Carise, who had become the Supreme Governor of Birren with the help of Leia, discovered sensitive information about Leia's true parentage as the daughter of the universally reviled Darth Vader. In secret, Lady Carise was a clandestine agent of the First Order who was working to destabilize the Republic. Unhappy that her Centrist colleague Casterfo was friendly with Leia, Carise told him about Leia's secret. Feeling betrayed by his friend, Casterfo informed the Senate about Leia's true parentage. Due to the ensuing political fallout from the revelation, Leia's reputation was destroyed overnight and she was forced to withdraw her nomination for First Senator. Despite this major setback, Leia still resolved to continue her investigation into Rinnrivin's cartel and the Amaxine warriors. With the help of Joph and Greer, Leia and C-3PO managed to infiltrate Sibensko. There, C-3PO discovered banking records which proved that the Amaxines and another "mysterious entity" were channeling funds into the Rinnrivin's cartel, which was then channeling the money into Centrist worlds. Leia and her team were pursued by Rinnrivin and the Amaxine warriors, who maintained a large base on Sibensko that included several starfighter. However, they managed to escape with the help of Han Solo shortly before a downed Amaxine B-wing starfighter collided with the Amaxines' ammunition depot; triggering an explosion that destroyed the underwater city. This crippled the Amaxines but destroyed much of the evidence linking the militia and Rinnrivin to the First Order and Lady Carise. Following the events on Sibensko, Leia addressed the Galactic Senate about her investigation into Rinnrivin's cartel and the Amaxines. She ended her speech calling on the Galactic Senate to put aside their differences and to be on guard for any future threats to the New Republic. While many distrusted her due to her parentage as Vader's daughter, Senator Casterfo, who was guilt-stricken by his role in Leia's political downfall, spoke in her defense. He presented evidence about the Amaxines' arms-buildup and their admiration for the "Old Empire." Casterfo's actions earned the ire of Lady Carise, who wanted to use the Centrists to undermine the New Republic. Lady Carise hired Arliz Hadrassian to assassinate the Populist Senator Tai-Lin Garr, Leia's friend and the new Populist candidate for First Senator. Hadrassian then killed herself before she could be taken into custody. The New Republic media and public believed that Hadrassian was the sole mastermind behind the Amaxine warriors, the Napkin bombing, and Rinnrivin's syndicate. Lady Carise then fabricated evidence linking Casterfo to Hadrassian. Accused of sponsoring and financing Hadrassian, Casterfo was deported to his homeworld of Riosato face imprisonment, trial, and sentencing. Realizing that Lady Carise was responsible for leaking information about her parentage and framing Casterfo, Leia convinced the Elder Houses to strip Carise of all her titles and powers. Disillusioned with the infighting in the Senate, Leia resigned as Senator and founded the Resistance to safeguard the Republic from all threats. Under Leia's leadership, the Resistance became a private military force that kept watch over the First Order's movements. Although she petitioned for assistance from the New Republic, the Senate was too self-absorbed to take much notice and its slow political process frustrated the former princess. During this political infighting, the Galactic Alliance leader, Syn Zuko became the ''de facto ''leader of the New Republic, trying to hold it together and keep the peace. A shattered peace Some thirty years after the Emperor's defeat at Endor, in 34 ABY, a cold war developed between the growing First Order and the New Republic. Despite warnings from General Organa about the dangers of the First Order, the Senate, led by Chancellor Lanever Villecham focused more on improving trade relationships with the neutral Trans-Hydian Borderlandssystems. Believing that the First Order was remaining within their assigned borders and following the tenants of the Galactic Concordance, the Senate and Chancellor Villecham saw little cause for alarm. New Republic military officers like Major Lonno Deso generally regarded the First Order as an ill-equipped, ill-funded terrorist group that simply had a good propaganda arm, and even considered Organa and her allies scaremongering troublemakers trying to relive their glory days. In the hopes of convincing the Senate to her point of view, Organa sent Resistance Commander Korr Sella to as an envoy to make a case for action by the New Republic. Determined to reveal its true power, the First Order, led by Supreme Leader Snoke, attacked the New Republic using its superweapon, the Starkiller Base, commanded by General Armitage Hux. It harnessed the sun's power and then destroyed the planets of the Hosnian system, including Hosnian Prime which at that time was serving as the Republic capital and hosting the Senate and the New Republic fleet. The Resistance in turn attacked Starkiller Base and was able to destroy it. Organization Government and Politics With the signing of the Galactic Concordance on Coruscant, the New Republic secured both victory and peace. Several changes were made to the political process to ensure mistakes of the Old Republic were not repeated. Despite dropping the "supreme" from the title, the post of Chancellor still held the emergency powers granted to Palpatine during the Old Republic's last years. To prevent further abuses of the office, Mon Mothma gave up these emergency powers and set forth a plan to give aid to war-torn worlds and bolster the training of their planetary defense forces so that they could defend themselves. Additionally, the Senate passed the Military Disarmament Act which, while maintaining the New Republic Starfleet, greatly reduced its size and capabilities. The New Republic, in accordance with its humanitarian values prohibited torture as part of the Galactic Concordance, however the divisive topic on the treatment of former Imperials would occupy much heated debate.1 Some wished to execute and punish those responsible for war crimes, while others were dismayed at the thought of succumbing to the barbarities of the former regime, and emulating what they had fought so hard against. Ultimately, the fact that billions of individuals had participated in the Empire—many of them against their wishes—cooler heads prevailed, allowing for leniency in sentences and the invitation of former Imperial governors to the New Republic. Likewise, civilian and military personnel were offered a new life within the annals of the nascent Republic. In order to gain the support of disaffected worlds and prevent friction that had occurred during the Old Republic and later the Empire, the New Republic government chose to not settle down on Coruscant. Instead, member worlds would host the capital on a rotating basis with elections deciding where to seat the Senate. Despite its outward appearance of unity, the Senate was divided into two feuding factions: The Populists, which believed that almost all authority should reside in individual member worlds, and the Centrists, who supported a stronger central government. The two factions frequently squabbled over policies and government spending, creating an atmosphere of political deadlock and distrust in the Senate. As a result, the Republic was unable to carry out several of its functions including preventing the resurgence of organized crime, enforcing financial regulations, and patrolling the shipping lanes. In response to the political gridlock, the Centrists Lady Carise and Ransolm Casterfo proposed the creation of the office of First Senator, that would wield considerable power over the galactic economy and military. The Populist Senators Leia Organa and Tai-Lin Garr were considered as viable candidates for that office until revelations into the former's parentage and the latter's assassination. In response to the political unrest resonating from Garr's death and Casterfo's arrest, the Senate passed a motion delaying elections for the near future. This was supported by Lady Carise and her Centrist allies, who planned to secede from the New Republic and join the First Order. Prior to Poe Dameron's search for Lor San Tekka, several members of the Galactic Senate including the Centrist Erudo Ro-Kiintor, were colluding with the First Order, which had seceded from Republic politics some time past. In return for receiving large sums of credits transferred through the Corporate Sector Authority and third-party corporations, Ro-Kiintor and other like-minded senators frequently delayed, derailed and dismissed motions regarding sanctions against the First Order and increased support for the Republic Navy. Foreign relations The New Republic evolved from the Alliance to Restore the Republic to become the new galactic government. During the last stages of the Galactic Civil War, the New Republic's ranks were swelled by numerous defecting worlds and systems. In the face of the Republic's relentless military advances against the Galactic Empire, Grand Admiral Sloane proposed peace talks with Chancellor Mon Mothma and Fleet Admiral Ackbar on Chandrila. However, this was merely a ruse for the Imperial Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax to launch an attack on Chandrila. While Sloane had believed that Rax planned to deploy the newly-reunified Imperial fleets on the Republic capital, this attack turned out be an assassination attempt staged by liberated prisoners from Ashmead's Lock against the New Republic's leadership. This attack only hardened the New Republic's stance against the Empire and set the stage for the Battle of Jakku, which brought about the Empire's defeat. Following the Battle of Jakku, the Republic signed the Galactic Concordance with the Galactic Empire, which imposed strict disarmament treaties and punishing reparations that limited it ability to wage war and ordered the Empire to dissolved with a official successor Imperial remnant being formed that was in predetermined boundaries in the Core and Inner Rim, which would share cooperation and newfound peace with Republic, but nevertheless a great deal of resentment existed between the two governments who became locked into a cold war for years. While a provisional government was installed on Coruscant led by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda after the Empire handed the would over to the Republic. The administration was placed under the oversight of New Republic overseers whose purpose was confirm that Amedda remained little more than a figurehead. During that period, Chancellor Mothma's government also had to contend with several other powers including the New Separatist Union, the Confederacy of Corporate Systems and the pirate state known as the Sovereign Latitudes of Maracavanya. About thirty years after the Battle of Endor, the New Republic believed that the remnants of the "Old Empire" no longer posed a threat and thus turned its attention to reshaping galactic politics. About thirty years after the Battle of Endor, Chancellor Lanever Villecham favored developing closer trade relations with the Trans-Hydian Borderlands as opposed to taking military action against the First Order, a remnant of the "Old Empire." Despite intelligence reports to the contrary, both the Republic's Senate Intelligence Committee and several Republic military commanders like Major Lonno Deso viewed the First Order as an ill-organized, poorly equipped, and badly-funded group of Imperial loyalists who used propaganda and fear to exaggerate their strength and importance. Republic Command also did not believe that the First Order posed a serious threat and limited military units like Rapier Squadron to sector patrol in order to avoid provoking the First Order. The New Republic tolerated the Resistance, a private military force created by General Leia Organa to monitor the movements of the First Order. While the New Republic officially tolerated the Resistance, it was reluctant to help the Resistance since it was wary of risking war with the First Order. Conversely, the Resistance's leadership found the Galactic Senate too slow and too preoccupied with self-interest to be of any help. Some military commanders like Major Deso believed that the Resistance was inflating its own activities and exaggerating the threat posed by the First Order. The First Order on the other hand despised the New Republic as an illegitimate regime that tolerated disorder and supported the Resistance. In an effort to destroy the Republic, the First Order launched a preemptive attack on the Hosnian system, which at that time hosted the Senate and the New Republic Starfleet. Besides the Resistance and the First Order, the New Republic had to contend with other entities including the Guavian Death Gang, the True Sith Empire, the Eternal Empire, dating back from the Old Republic, the Hutts, and the Corporate Sector Authority. In addition, the New Republic also had political and trade relations with independent, non-member worlds like Ryloth. Some of the most important functions of the New Republic government included enforcing financial regulations and conducting comprehensive patrols of shipping lanes in order to protect the galaxy from large-scale organized crime syndicates like the Hutts and Rinnrivin Di's cartel. Prior to the Napkin Bombing, the New Republic was unable to carry out these functions due to endless gridlock in the Senate. The New Republic was also known to place troubled non-member worlds like Bastatha on conditional probational advice, which allowed the Republic to observe and track activity around the planet for a certain period. Defense The New Republic military traced its roots from the military formations of the Rebel Alliance. The New Republic military was known to have three branches: the New Republic Starfleet, the ground-based New Republic army, and the New Republic Special Forces. The Republic's military saw extensive action against the remnants of the Galactic Empire during the last stages of the Galactic Civil War. Following the Galactic Concordance, the Galactic Senate enacted the Military Disarmament Act that drastically reduced the New Republic military to a smaller peacetime force.4 The Military Disarmament Act had originated as an initiative of Chancellor Mon Mothma, who believed that a demilitarized galaxy was conducive to lasting peace and freedom. Following the Battle of Endor, the New Republic established a series of Academies on several worlds including Chandrila to replace the old network of Imperial Academies. One notable graduate was the starfighter pilot Joph Seastriker. About twenty four years after the events on Endor, at least one Centrist senator regarded the New Republic Academies as inferior imitations of their Imperial successors. As a result, the study programs of the Old Empire's Academies were reintegrated into the curriculum of Academies based on Centrist worlds. Reflecting the New Republic's anti-militaristic ethos, its soldiers wore simple jackets, trousers, and little armor that were designed not to instill terror and awe. Some of the peacetime functions of the New Republic Starfleet including patrolling galactic shipping lanes and escorting Senators on government business. While the Republic Starfleet had enough resources to defend the entire galaxy in peacetime, several Centrist senators like Erudo Ro-Kiintor frequently lobbied for more government funding to be diverted for planetary defenses; a pretext for earmarking funding to Centrist worlds. The New Republic military was also led by a Fleet Admiral, and Republic Command. Prior to the destruction of the Hosnian system, Republic Command ordered its military personnel and units not to engage in hostilities with the First Order due to the Galactic Senate's desire to avoid another war. Several military branches of the New Republic joined Syn Zuko's Galactic Alliance, which was a militant group to fight against the True Sith and other threats; an alliance of defense of sorts. Law Enforcement Besides its standing military, the New Republic also established a security agency called the New Republic Security Bureau to protect the Republic from internal security threats. Unlike the Old Republic and the Old Empire, the New Republic ceased hiring bounty hunters for an unknown period after the attack on Chandrila since soliciting their services made the New Republic's military and security establishment look weak. By the time of the Battle of Jakku, the New Republic law enforcement database was linked to the Coronet City Peace and Security's records. This allowed Norra Wexley's team to identify the location of the bounty hunter Mercurial Swift's mother Tabba Teldar. Following the signing of the Galactic Concordance, all Imperial military officers were designated as war criminals by Chancellor Mothma. However, civilian functionaries were given conditional pardons as long as they complied with the terms of the Concordance. By 34 ABY, the New Republic was known to outsource the running of some prisons such as Megalox to private individuals such as Warden Luta. Megalox was considered to be home to many of the worst criminals on the galaxy. Megalox was situated on the high gravity world of Megalox Beta and protected by a gravity shield. Prisoners were left to fend for themselves and subsisted on supplies ferried from an orbiting space station. Some notable inmates included Grakkus the Hutt, Papa Toren, Kan Be, and Isin. Visitors could bribe their way into the prison. There were also other prisons, most notable by the Galactic Alliance, Sector 444, a former Imperial Prison now held as a maximum security prison for petty criminals and dangerous inmates. Society and Culture As the successor to the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the New Republic saw itself as a democracy where free exchange of ideas and opinions were actively encouraged and protected. Government debates on proposals and policies were broadcast on HoloNet to promote transparency and accountability. In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, the New Republic passed legislation which direct some government expenditure for non-military usage, cleaned up polluted worlds, and compensated alien species that had been enslaved by the Empire. Rejecting the totalitarianism and censorship of the Galactic Empire, the New Republic eased restrictions on the media. Following the liberation of Akiva, the newly unfettered HoloNet reported on Imperial atrocities such as the wholesale massacres of native populations carried out by Imperial commanders and Imperial suicide attacks on entrenched New Republic positions. Media were allowed to debate current affairs events like the aftermath of Battle of Jakku. In contrast to the xenophobia of the Empire, humans and aliens were equally represented in New Republic government institutions like the Galactic Senate. About six years before the destruction of the Hosnian system, there was a divide between Populist and Centrist worlds, which reflected the two main political factions in the Senate. Populist worlds supported greater planetary autonomy, with some Populist senators advocating that citizens vote on Senate legislation and others urging the abolition of the Senate. Meanwhile, Centrist worlds advocated a stronger central government and military and took a tough stance on law and order. Some Centrists like Lady Carise Sindian were nostalgic towards the Old Empire and supported the idea of the Centrist worlds seceding from the New Republic to join the First Order. In terms of sports, one popular piloting championship was the the Five Sabers, a five-stage race that was held on the planet Theron. The Rebel Alliance veteran and former smuggler Han Solo helped to manage the championship. A junior version called the Junior Sabers was also held for younger pilots like Greer Sonnel. Ubardian oil wrestling was also popular entertainment on some seedy worlds like Sibensko. In contrast to the Empire, the New Republic had a policy of encouraging public celebrations including carnivals, festivals, official revels, and pageants. One known holiday was Liberation Day which was organized to celebrate the liberation of former rebel prisoners from Ashmead's Lock prison on Kashyyyk. Following the Battle of Jakku, Liberation Day was remade into the seven day Festival of Liberation. Economy The New Republic had a galactic-wide economy based on galactic shipping lanes. While the its economy was based on free trade and promoting prosperity, the New Republic did not allow the free trade of most forms of spice. However, it allowed the sale and trade of weak forms of spice that could be mined and grown on numerous worlds. The Republic's prohibition on illegal and dangerous forms of spice annoyed crime lords like Rinnrivin Di, who made a living out of trafficking illicit spice. The New Republic also had a policy of not allowing organized crime syndicates to permeate the galaxy, as they once did during the Age of the Empire. However, deadlock in the Galactic Senate prevented the Republic from fulfilling this promise. By the time of the Napkin Bombing, some locations like the space station Chrome Citadeland the Expansion Region planet of Sibensko were regarded as crime havens where various illegal activities including slavery and the trafficking of Glitterstim and weapons took place. While the Republic also had financial regulations aimed at tackling organized crime, these were sporadically enforced by the time of the Napkin Bombing. Astrography Thirty years after the Battle of Endor, the New Republic occupied vast swaths of space stretching from the Inner Core to the Outer Rim Territories, and at that time had its rotating capital on the Core World of Hosnian Prime. While a fraction the size of both the Galactic Republic and Empire, its egalitarian practices left many neighboring star systems on friendly terms with the new government. Some known Republic worlds included Chandrila, Akiva, Coruscant, Taris, Naboo, Hevurion, Mirrin Prime, Arkanis, Kuat, and Daxam IV. After the First Order's secession from the Republic, a narrow region of space existed a neutral region of systems known as the Trans-Hydian Borderlands, in which an act of aggression within would be viewed as an overt act of war. Despite this, the First Order Navy frequently crossed the Borderlands and penetrated New Republic space, which led to incidents like the Suraz engagement. In spite of these violations of the Galactic Concordance, the New Republic refused to take action against the First Order beyond issuing formal diplomatic protests. Category:Factions Category:Governments Category:Canon